119 Alibris Books Consumer Reviews and Complaints

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Reviews 1 - 30

Joseph of Valley Stream, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: April 29, 2019

There was a time when Alibris had great sellers and supported their customers. No more. Twice in a row now they left me high-and-dry when scammers pretended to send out my book (no tracking number-which is the first red flag) and kept me hanging for a month before I'd had enough. The last one was More Books in Fl., who pulled the same stunt.

While Alibris will refund your money, they won't do a damn thing for you. During the time you're waiting for your nonexistent book to arrive, you're losing out on other equally priced books. In both instances, I was left with nothing but much higher priced options. How about a significant coupon to help offset the loss of your time and energy? Nope, just bad customer service agents who don't properly read your messages (because there's no phone support) and respond with excuses and nonsense! I've come to hate this company that I once used frequently for older books.

Avoid Alibris! They deserve no stars! The crooks will take your money and run, leaving you without your purchase. I wish I'd seen the loads of negative reviews they continually get before wasting time trying to do business with them. In less than 48 hours from the time I filed an online Dispute, PayPal sent me a full refund for my missing order. Fulfillment was supposed to be done by More Books in Florida, an equally crooked Alibris agent who should be avoided as well.

An advertised book ordered from More on 4/6/2019 was allegedly shipped to me on 4/8. As of 4/23, it had not been received. When contacted, lying More Books never sent the package tracking link promised, nor did they reply to my last two email inquiries, or replace the missing book as they said they would. It appears that the $25.00 book was falsely advertised and unavailable.

Alibris and More Books have no live customer service of any type. When I called the Emeryville, California phone number given by Alibris, all I got was a recording saying to contact the bookseller. The only company that functioned properly in this dismal case was PayPal. Excluding reliable Amazon, I won't make online credit card purchases from anyone who doesn't accept PayPal.

Was signed on by default to spam newsletter after buying books. I purchased 3 books and was signed on by default on newsletters which I don't want. I sent an email asking them to remove me from this newsletter. Yesterday I received an email confirming that I had been removed, but then this morning, I received another newsletter from them. I did not request to receive these mails, it must have been some default checkbox which was checked. I really hate when companies do that. Their newsletter does not have an unsubscribed link which is required by law in most countries. If I had known they operated like this I would not have made any purchases there.

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Anne of Succasunna, NJ
Verified Reviewer

Original review: March 21, 2019

I bought a book for someone. The book was delivered a month late. It was filthy with writing on the inside. I can not give this book to anyone. It’s too expensive to return. They should be ashamed that they did not indicate disgusting condition the book was in. I bought this book on Amazon. They should reprimand this seller.

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Vern of Ballwin, MO
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Feb. 26, 2019

I ordered a textbook. Their site says that its policy is that sellers must ship within two days. Alibris sent notification it had shipped the following day. I asked seller for tracking info and they said it was unavailable due to storms (?). After two weeks of Alibris deferring to the seller and the seller insisting it had shipped, I filed a claim with PayPal. In the meantime, I was forced to buy the book elsewhere because it was time sensitive and we were now a week past the outside estimate of shipping. The seller then sent the book and refused to communicate. Alibris refuses to issue a refund though the seller has received the item back, but has not acknowledged receipt to Alibris. Meanwhile, I get form responses from Alibris and the seller is selling the book again. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH. THEY DO NOT HOLD THEIR SELLERS TO ANY STANDARD OF SERVICE.

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2 people found this review helpful

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Amy of Hoboken, NJ
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Feb. 7, 2019

I followed the instructions on the website for a return but the site wouldn't print the shipping label from their website that they themselves *require* you to use to process a return; I kept getting error messages. When I emailed them all I got was a scripted response saying that they didn't pay return shipping costs, which I never even mentioned, let alone requested. Too lazy and unprofessional to read a three-sentence email and respond appropriately. I guess that's one way to cut down on returns. I've been a customer for years but from now on it's Abebooks.com for me!

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2 people found this review helpful

Matthew of Las Vegas, NV
Verified Reviewer
Verified Buyer

Original review: Feb. 7, 2019

I ordered a book on Jan.4. The website put it as shipped on Jan. 6. It of course did not ship. On Jan. 19th I got an email with a tracking number. I checked the number on the USPS site and it says a label was made, but USPS is still awaiting the shipment. It is now Feb. 6th and the tracking info is the same. It still has not shipped. I have emailed them more than once and been told it is in transit. It is not. Worst experience with an online retailer I have ever had.

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2 people found this review helpful

Katie of Menan, ID
Verified Reviewer
Verified Buyer

Original review: Feb. 6, 2019

My son wanted to purchase a used book through Alibris for a Christmas present for his sister. He contacted the seller prior to purchase to make sure all the parts were included (Wandology). Everything was good so we purchased the book. I used PayPal as my form of payment. About a week before Christmas, I found an email from Alibris stating that they hadn’t heard from me and if they didn’t get a response within 24 hours they would cancel my order. I immediately responded to them. They required verification that I really did want the book that I ordered and paid for. WHAT?! Call me old fashioned, but I considered ordering and using a verified source of payment, and having them accept the money from my account verification that I actually intended to purchase the book.

In truth, with my travels I missed their first email they sent me asking me if I really wanted to buy it. It too was filtered into my junk mailbox. But why on earth would they require a verification that I wanted to send the Christmas present purchased at Christmas time to an address other than the billing address. In their opinion sending a gift to someone could be considered fraud. Ummm...even if the recipient doesn’t want the book, you received your money for it. Where’s the fraud?!

On Christmas Eve we were notified that the book was no longer available. WHY, when I responded immediately after receiving the 2nd email that warned me that my order would be canceled if I didn’t respond within 24 hours notice, why was my order sold to another person? Shady! Then when I reached out to the company they told me that because I hadn’t provided a phone number they couldn’t call me. I went back through the ordering process and found that NOWHERE on their forms is there ever a blank to add a phone number. I am so DISAPPOINTED. Be cautious when ordering through this company. They did refund my money that they readily snatched up when I placed the order. But don’t be fooled. Even if you order, pay for, and provide an address for delivery they still won’t fulfill their side of the agreement.

I purchased a book and they marked it as shipped the next day. I waited over 2 weeks before the tracking number had any activity of the book moving from its destination. I late found out they sold a book they did not have, and only after my multiple emails saying that I needed the book did they ship. The book that I received was not even what I ordered, they claimed the book I ordered was too expensive and they sent me a cheaper version. I asked for a refund if I sent the book back. I shipped the book back, never to hear from the company again, without a book and without my money... Never will do business with them again.

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2 people found this review helpful

Roger of Manheim, PA
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Jan. 26, 2019

I buy a lot online and understand how third party sellers work, but this is by far the worst experience I've ever had. Ordered a book which was promptly marked as shipped. While there were negative reviews on the page Alibris gave the seller 5 stars. Never arrives. Contact seller and get no response for a week. Contact Alibris and get the brush off that sometimes shipping takes longer. I go back to the seller's page and now it says they are temporary unavailable for 10 days and all the reviews are gone. There is no option to get a refund here. Contacted payment company. Hope they can help.

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3 people found this review helpful

Aleida of Silver Spring, MD
Verified Reviewer
Verified Buyer

Original review: Jan. 23, 2019

Sad to say that I took my time to search and search and worldwide bookstores to find this precise book, the description said paperback and I was thrilled to find it finally. The book could not be delivered to the person because it was hard copy and they do not accept that at the place where it was sent. Customer service 1 told me they were sorry and apologized for the mistake. Customer service 2 sent me the corrected description to avoid misguiding others. The book was still not delivered neither returned and I can’t control that so they just corrected the description and kept the money. Not fair. I wouldn’t have bought it if the description has been right. The book was never delivered to the person and since it's a government institution, it can’t be returned either.

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2 people found this review helpful

Samantha of Springview, NE
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Jan. 14, 2019

I placed my order on December 5th. Expected delivery time was December 26th-January 3rd. It is now the 14th, I am halfway through my class and still no book. I have emailed and got the run around and am now being ignored. I tried to cancel it and was told that wasn't possible. I would rethink using this company and find another route because this company flat out sucks. Plus they don't even have real people to talk to when you call, I called to try and figure out where my book was and it just said to email them. Worst experience ever.

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4 people found this review helpful

Susan of Chicago, IL
Verified Reviewer
Verified Buyer

Original review: Dec. 19, 2018

I placed an order for 2 books. Each was sold by a different vendor. I received one book but the second has not arrived. USPS tracking shows that acceptance is pending as of 2 weeks ago. I have tried to contact the seller without response. There is no way to call Alibris, only an email address. I will never order from this company again.

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6 people found this review helpful

Jo of Other, OTHER
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Dec. 6, 2018

I ordered and paid for the book in July. Hadn't received it within a month so I contacted them. They said that most books arrived within 20 days but sometimes 45 days so they wouldn't do anything until that time elapsed. Going through my Orders file now and realised I never received it so I contacted them, requesting a refund. They said too much time has gone by and it's against their policy to refund after more than 90 days. But when I order again (!) if the book is "delayed" they will respond promptly to my complaint. Wish I'd checked this site before ordering but Abebooks had them listed as "Extremely reliable".

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6 people found this review helpful

Matthew of Macedon, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Oct. 13, 2018

I am very disappointed in my experience attempting to order a book from this seller through B&N. It's late, it was expensive to ship, and the entire process has been a PITA. I don't have sympathy for pleas to be understanding about high volumes of service requests. That seems to clearly indicate that service is poor and emphasizes that it will continue to be so. Their website was clunky and the order process is completely opaque. I'm not happy with Barnes and Noble, either, and probably won't order through them again, but I'm definitely going to avoid this company. It sounds like they have a history of callous finger-flipping ripoffs based on a casual scan of other reviews.

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3 people found this review helpful

L of Pisgah Forest, NC
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Oct. 10, 2018

I mistakenly placed an order and saw that it was sent to my old address in another state. I contacted them within 1 minute of placing the order. I got a response from them 36 hours later telling me that there was nothing that could be done - tough luck! I corrected the mistake immediately online. I wrote them and called them. I just lost $66 because this company does not offer support. I won't deal with them again. Online mistakes with companies like Amazon can be quickly corrected. There was no reason why this couldn't be corrected 60 seconds after I placed an order. You failed miserably, Alibris! I'm very disappointed.

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5 people found this review helpful

Colleen of Saint Helens, OR
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Oct. 1, 2018

I purchased a book more than a month ago and had even forgotten I ordered it. I logged into my pay site and verified the funds had been removed. I contacted the seller and my pay site. The vendor replied, stating the book had been delivered but had no tracking and asked if I wanted a refund or replacement. I stated I wanted the book and asked that they send it. This was 5 days ago. Today I receive a refund from my pay site due to the book being out of stock. Today I checked their site and my book is up on it for 10 dollars more than I originally bought it for. Never again!! Very dishonest!

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3 people found this review helpful

Karen of New Berlin, WI
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 22, 2018

Wrong item was received and now the seller is taking 3-4 days to respond to my emails for a return and refund. First they asked for the ISBN, then pictures, now they finally got around to saying, "Okay send it to this address and we will refund you accordingly." Well, apparently a refund doesn't include the shipping I have to pay to send it back, and I have to pay for tracking. Terrible practice. Item arrived damaged and it was the wrong item to begin with. Now I have to foot the bill for their mistake. Never again.

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4 people found this review helpful

Rania of Ashburn, VA
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 19, 2018

Worst experience I have ever had buying books anywhere!!! I bought 3 books, one said it shipped them. It was cancelled a week and a half later about 3 days before class started. I reached out to Alibris customer service and their response was pretty much "oh well, order another one if you need it". Another one of the books was a contraband version and literally said it is "illegal to distribute in the United States". What kind of business is Alibris running?! A sketchy one from what I've seen.

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4 people found this review helpful

Kimberly of West Linn, OR
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 13, 2018

I ordered a book almost a month ago. A few days after I placed the order I received an automated email saying the book had been shipped (around Aug 20th). When I checked the status of my order on their site it said it would be delivered on Sept 4th. It’s now Sept 13th and still no book. I have emailed them several times requesting a refund. First they told me it was on the way but were not able to provide me with a tracking number. (If it’s on the way, why don’t they have a tracking number?!) Then about a week later they said it hadn’t been sent, and for me to be patient. This company is so shady. I have emails to prove that all of the information I have provided is true and correct. I will be reporting this company to the Better Business Bureau.

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3 people found this review helpful

Iyana of Virginia Beach, VA
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 10, 2018

Hey guys! so I wanted to share my review and great experience with Alibris. I ordered a textbook that I needed for my sociology class on September 4, 2018. At the time, it was cheaper on Alibris than Amazon and Chegg was sold out of the book. So I decided to try this website, I have never used it before but saw it on a top 12 book rental/buy sites. Long story short, my book came September 10, 2018, right on time for class. I understand this site gets a lot of bad reviews, so I just wanted to share my good experience with them. I'm extremely happy my book came right on time for class and that I was able to get it for a cheaper price. :)

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3 people found this review helpful

Matt of Fort Rucker, AL
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 4, 2018

Ordered a book before starting trig class. First email stated 4 to 6 business days. When the book didn't show, first customer service email response stated 14 business days. After that time had passed (they couldn't look at a calendar correctly), they stated again 14 business days. I emailed again demanding a refund for the now month late and still not arrived book. No response. Filed fraudulent charge with bank, waiting on my bank to reverse the charge. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM THIS SITE. They will steal your money.

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3 people found this review helpful

Jan of Kensington, MD
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Aug. 10, 2018

When a company consistently gets poor marks, believe the reviews. Despite the myriad of unsatisfactory reviews posted online (this site and others), I went ahead and took a chance on Alibris, thinking they may have improved in response to the issues described. However, my recent experience only served to reinforce the same comments shared by previous customers.

The customer support from Alibris is practically non-existent, from the automated phone system which neither allows you to leave a message (although claiming it will) to the lack of any follow-up by Alibris, to the system for communicating online, which also does not result in anyone effectively responding (only same automated text, asking one to not recontact, but rather wait until someone replied - which doesn't occur, even after five days). While price/selection are among factors to consider, even more important is customer service - particularly, when there is a problem, which based on the reviews, seems often. Unfortunately, I am among the many people who tried Alibris, but will not be returning. :-(

Customer support is virtually nonexistent. I don't know what the people who own Alibris do with their time, but it certainly isn't making sure things run smoothly. The first order I placed was charged, then canceled. The book was to be a gift, but that ruined it. Months later I tried again, I got a pop-up saying I would get a $5 coupon if I subscribed to their coupons, so I did, only to find out afterward that the $25 order I intended to place was not large enough for their coupon to kick in. But it didn't say that when it asked me to subscribe, and I went back and double checked. There is absolutely no phone support; just long messages saying so. And when you do get support, it comes through a short email from India. Apparently, this is a company that makes its money off of one time, first-time naive customers who don't know any better. How they have managed to stay in business is one of those imponderable mysteries, but as for their service, I'm done.

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5 people found this review helpful

Sue of Canton, MA
Verified Reviewer

Original review: June 28, 2018

I went to check out on the site and my DVD order was to incur $35.00 in shipping charges. I expected perhaps half of that (most were cheap and older releases,) but $35.00? Now I'm glad I canceled after reading all the negative experiences here - save the time and trouble and shop elsewhere.

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2 people found this review helpful

Marisa of St. Petersburg, FL
Verified Reviewer

Original review: June 24, 2018

It took almost a month for three original Nancy Drew books to arrive. They were written way before the computer and cell phones. Instead I got one book with three stories...where the girls had laptops and smartphones. The writing was plain stupid. Nothing to do with what I ordered! What con artists. I actually changed my credit card because after I looked at other reviews I saw this organisation is a scam! BEWARE!

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3 people found this review helpful

Lawrence of Westlake Village, CA
Verified Reviewer

Original review: June 23, 2018

"Purchased" a book through Alibris. They charged my Visa account. A few days later I received an email from Biblio saying the book was unavailable. I expected that a credit would appear on my Visa but this did not happen. I waited several weeks and then contacted Biblio. They said that I need to speak to Alibris since they were the ones who charged my account. Contacted Alibris and they were very difficult to deal with. They recommended I contact Biblio. The amount of money involved is small and not worth pursuing further. I will NEVER buy another book from Alibris and suggest no one else does!!!

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6 people found this review helpful

Miriam of Duluth, MN
Verified Reviewer

Original review: May 25, 2018

We have received a charge on our Visa account - have never purchased anything. Tried calling them - you cannot speak with a person. Tried to find an online chat - none. Emailed them telling them our problem. Have not heard anything back from them. Ended up having to close our Visa account - very, very inconvenient as we have other things automatically paid through this account. Have never used this company and certainly never will.

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7 people found this review helpful

Catherine of Brooklyn, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: April 16, 2018

The website glitches and keeps resetting the default mailing address. My attempts to resolve this with the company was totally unsatisfactory. They have simply stopped responding. Great selection of books but very poor customer service and a totally problematic website.

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4 people found this review helpful

Antonio of Richmond, CA
Verified Reviewer
Verified Buyer

Original review: April 1, 2018

People will always have good or bad things to say about every company, however I personally ordered two books from Alibris (Bibles to be exact) and I got the exact books I ordered at the exact time frame that they gave me!!! And yes they have some of the best prices... Thanks guys.

Alibris Books expert review by ConsumerAffairs

Founded in 1993, Alibris is an online marketplace website headquartered in California that facilitates purchases between independent sellers and website users. Among other products, Alibris features textbook sales and rentals.

Large inventory:
Alibris Books partners with many independent retailers and also has its own large warehouse, so it offers over 25,000 textbooks for rent. These include hard and soft cover books and audiobooks in nearly every subject.

Worry-free guarantees:
You have 21 days after you place an order to return your rental for a full refund. Books are guaranteed to be free from excessive damage, and you may return them if they are damaged or otherwise unsuitable. You can also return them if you drop a course or don’t need the book after all.

Grace period:
Unlike many other rental companies, Alibris does not begin charging late fees immediately if your book is not returned by the due date. You have a full 20 days after the end of your rental period to return the book before being charged the retail price of the book.

Quick shipping:
Most books are in the warehouse and ship within two days of your rental order, so you receive your books quickly in time for the start of the term.

Normal wear and tear is accepted:
Some rental companies charge damage fees for normal wear and tear. Alibris recognizes that normal wear and tear is to be expected and doesn’t charge a fee unless the book is actually damaged (such as missing pages, a torn cover or a broken spine). You can even highlight and write sparingly in the margins of your Alibris rentals.

Best for:
college and university students on a budget and those who want to highlight their books.

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team believes everyone deserves to make smart decisions. We aim to provide readers with the most up-to-date information available about today's consumer products and services.

Alibris Books Company Information

Company Name:

Alibris Books

Website:

www.alibris.com

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